Sleeping-car berth.



I. R. ODELI..

SLEEPING CAR BEHTH.

Mmmm

-APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2. 1917.

` Patented J uly 10, 1917 2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

y llI/VE/I/TOR P. H. ODELL;

SLEEPING CAR BERTH.

APPLICATION FILED MAILZ. |917.

meme@ July 10, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WIT/VESSES Arron/115m v JPUL EEVERE AUlIlELlL, QF BUTTE, MONTN.

SLEEJPDIWCB BERUFE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented duly lh, 191W..

Application led March 2, 1917. Serial No. 151,937.

. To all 'whom it may concern.'

Be it known that l, PAUL Rumen 01mm.,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Butte, in the county of Silverbow and State of Montana, have invented an lmprovement in Sleeping-Car Berths, of which the following is a specication.

Myv invention is an improvement in sleeping car berths, and has for its object to provide a section wherein a dressing aisle may be provided in connection with each of the berths.

ln the drawings: A

Figure l is a perspective view showing the improved berth with the dressing aisles open.

Fig. 2 is a similar view y, showing the berths disassembled, and arranged as seats.

Fig. 3 is a section on the lineI 3.13 of Fig. 1. l

Fig. 4'is an end view of one of the spring controlled reels. 1

4 Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the base of the dressing aisle for the upper berth.

ln the present embodiment of the invention, the lower berths are composed by the seat frames, to be described, and U- shaped frames 2, the said frames 2 being arranged between the seat frames. Each seat frame is substantially chair-shaped, consisting of the seat proper l, and a back 3. 'lhe seat frames are similarly arranged, that is with the seat portions extending on the vsaine sides of the backs. The seat portion of each seat frame provides one seat, and the other seat on the opposite side' of the bacl; is provided. for by the adjacent lll-shaped frame 2, and a seat cushion 4.

'lhese seat cushions 4 are hinged to supports 5 on the backs 3, the upper edges of the supports 5 -being at the level of they upper surface of the'seat portions 1 of the seat frames. These cushion seats 4 mayfold upwardly into the position of Fig. 1, where their upper edges will contact with the lower edges of the head cushions 6, or`

downwardly into the position at the right f of Fig. 2, where they rest upon lll-shaped frames 2. Each ofthe seats in connection with the seat lportion l of the seat frame consists of a seat cushion 7, a back cushion 8and` a head cushion 6, the said cushions being connected withthe seat.. and theback, respectively.

'lhe seat cushions 7 are mounted to slide on the seat frames, each cushion having on its under side a pair of plates 9 provided are engaged by pins on the seat frames. Thus the mattress of each. lower berth is composed of one seat cushion 4, one seat cushion 7, and two back cushions 8. ln order to form the seats into berths, each seat cushion 4 is turned down onto the adjacent U-shaped frame, as shown at the left of Fig. 1. The adjacent seat cushion 7 is then pushed laterally until it contacts with the adjacent edge of the seat cushion 4, the seat cushion 7 now resting upon the edge of its seat frame and the lll-shaped frame. 'lwo back cushions are then arranged upon the seat of the seat frame.

lWhen the occupant arises, he or she will swing up the seat cushion 4 into the position shown at the right of Fig. 1, and there will thus be left a clear aisle for dressing, of a size approximately twenty inches wide by three feet deep. The occupant may sit ample head room. i

- Each upper berth is composed of a larg cushion 10 and a smaller cushion 11, and the said cushions are hinged to the car in the .usual manner, to swing up into the closed position or down into horizontal position. These cushions are normally held in folded position by means of flexible members l2, and 13, respectively, the flexible members in the present instance being chains. These chains connect at one end to the cushions, and at the other end they wind upon spring controlled reels 14, which are journaled in brackets l5 secured to the car wall, and the chains pass over pulleys 16 before reaching the reels. When these cushions are folded down into horizontal position, they rest at their remote ends on sliding supports 17, these supports being in the form of plates, having ribs 18 at their `lower edges which slide in grooves 19 in the tops of the backs C Each support lis of approm'mately half `the width of the berth, so that it may be pushed back out of the way when the berths are not made up. Each support has conupon the seat cushion 7 and there will be nected tothe rear end thereof a strip 20 of.

' fabric material of the same width as .the support, and yat its rear end each strip is secured to the car wall or to the berth sup-p with longitudinally extending slots which Each of these bars 21 is provided at its up- This mechanism comprises a foot plate 24:y

having at one edge thereof a back plate 25. A side plate 26 is hinged to the foot plate near one edge, the end of the side plate contacting with the back plate 25 when the side plate is unfolded as indicated in full lines in Fig. 5. It will be noticed that both the back plate andside lplate are spaced from the adjacent edges of the foot plate. The rear` edge of the foot plate is adapted to engage a' slot or opening 27 in the berth supporter car wall, and the side edge adjacent to thev side plate 26 engages a notch 28 in the bar 2-1. The bar is laterally enlarged below the notch, as shown in-Fig. 1., to provide a firm support for the foot plate, and the upturned side plate 26, as well as the back plate 25, provides a firm and rigid support for the cushion 11. When the cushion 11 is turned up in the position of Fig. 1

` with the berth made up theoccupant of the upper berth may slip down upon the foot plate 24, and sit upon the cushion 10. When so seated there will be ample head room to permit the operation of dressing in comfort.

It will be noticed that the dressing aisles are atopposite ends ofthe berth, the dressing aisle for the lower berth being at one end, while the dressing aisle for the upper berth is at the opposite end. A

In Fig. 3 is shown a convenient form of stairway for permitting the'occupant of the upper berth to mount and dismount without the necessity of climbing up and down. This stairway consists of steps 29, 30 and j 31, which are connected by sidel frames 32.

i preferred. Each side frame' is These steps are supported between pairsof llugs 33 on the side frames so that the steps are removable, if desired, and the side frames may be made as folding frames, if rovided at its upper end with a hook 34 whlch engages over the foot plate 24.

The inner bar 21 is detachable only at its top, the lower end being pivoted to the seat, so that the bar may fold back alongthe inner end of the seat. It will be noticed that means is provided for lifting the hinged cushion while sitting at the head portion of the berth. The said' means comprises a flexible member 36 which is connected at one end to the seat and 'at the other end with a grip 38 at its free end for convenience in operating the same. Preferably the hinged cushion is provided with a spring to assist in lifting the same. In order that the back cushions may fill the space vbetween the seat cushions, one of the back cushions is made sectional, having one section permanently connected with the back and the other adapted to lit in the berth.

I claim: l

1. In sleeping car construction, the combination with the seats, and the cushions for forming with. the seats 'a lower berth, of a hinged cushion at one seat arranged to swing upward against the back to provide a dressrmg aisle, an upper berth comprising sections hinged to swing upwardly into closed pos1- tion or downwardly into open position, supports in connection with the seat backs forthe remote ends of the section, bars for supporting the inner end of one of the sections, means in connection with the bars the said section and the adjacent seat for detachably connecting said bars to the seat and the section, a foot board supported by the seat and the bars and the car below the said other section and having means for supporting the inner end of the section and forming a dressing aisle when the section is swung up? Ywardlyf.

wall, and having means for supporting the iner end of the other section when the said section is in open position and forming a dressing aisle when the said section is in closed position. j

3. In sleeping car construction, anupper berth comprising a long and a short section yhinged to swing upwardly into closed posi-A tion or downwardly into open position, su ports in connection with the seats for t e outer ends of the sections, means for supporting the inner end of the longer section, and a foot board detachably connected with the said supporting means, the carrier wall andthe adjacent seat, and having means for supporting the inner end of the shorter section when the said section is in downward position and forming a dressing aisle when the said section is in yupward position.

4. In sleeping car construction V'an upper berth comprising sections hinged to swmg kupwardl or-downwardly, a foot board arranged low one of the sections, the car,

, having means for supporting the same, said foot hoard forming e dressing aisle when foot hoard heing et the opposite end of the the said section is swung upwardl. herths'from the hinged Section of the lower l 5. lin sleeping car construction, upper and berth. lower berths each having e section hinged PAUL REVERE GDE. 5 toswin upwardly to provide dlressin space, Witnesses: Y

and a, oot hoard supported-below the said JOHN T. FE A:section of the upper berth, said section and. Fnwm.. 

